NAIA to crack whip on 'gagamba boys'

MANILA, Philippines - Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Alfonso Cusi ordered Monday assistant general manager for security and emergency services chief, Angel Atutubo to get rid of the so-called “gagamba (spider) boys” who rob returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), before the Christmas season starts.

The gagamba boys earned this nickname by leaping onto open jeepneys and vans hired by returning OFWs, then soliciting money or running away with the belongings of the balikbayans.

“The group usually spring into action and leap aboard a vehicle that is about to leave the premises of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals and demand cash from the unsuspecting occupants. Most often they will not leave you until you give something in return,” Cusi said.

Atutubo said they have formed “Task Force Gagamba” to patrol NAIA Avenue up to Multinational Village to make sure travelers are safe from these hooligans.

He said many members of this group loiter in the vicinity of the airport terminals. As soon as they spot a vehicle crammed with boxes leaving the public parking gate, they immediately swarm the vehicle and start begging, he said.

The MIAA has a continuing campaign against unscrupulous individuals at the airport, and clearing the areas where the gagamba boys operate is now their concern, Atutubo added.       – Rudy Santos